


Belated

by Ashii Black (ashiiblack)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Professors, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-04
Updated: 2013-05-04
Packaged: 2017-12-10 08:19:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/783890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashiiblack/pseuds/Ashii%20Black
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After months of obvious flirting with Potter, Severus has finally decided to take matters into his own hands.  That doesn't necessarily mean he feels confident about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Belated

**Author's Note:**

> Dear prompter, this fic is acting as an IOU until I write the 20k monster this started to become. It's had five or six drafts, and none of them were good enough for you. This fic is based in the world your longer present will be in. Hopefully this will tide you over until then. I really hope you enjoy this fic, even though it is a lower rating than you wanted. Thank you buckets to [](http://drarryxlover.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://drarryxlover.livejournal.com/)**drarryxlover** for being forgiving and I. for sticking with me through the many drafts this piece went through.

Severus ran his fingers along the ribbon of the box as he took in a deep breath. He urged himself to relax. Sure, he hadn't given a present to someone in years, but it shouldn't cause him that much grief.

His heart stopped and he pivoted around, quickly heading back the way he came. He was going back to the dungeons, where he knew it was safe. The dungeons would never hurt him.

Then again, he knew there was no way he would be able to get the damn boy out of his head. Not if he didn't try.

He stopped, tugging at the ribbon again. The bow came undone and Severus cursed under his breath. He whipped out his wand out of his Hogwarts staff robes and quickly repaired it.

Severus leaned against the wall of the first floor corridor and sighed dramatically. He _had_ to do this. He thought about his conversation with the Granger girl just several days before.

_"You'd be good for him. Just approach him with confidence and he won't be able to resist you. I can tell how much he likes you._ "

If that were true, why had that foolish Gryffindor not done it himself? Severus had dropped hints ranging from subtle to painfully obvious for months. Granger had mentioned several unfortunate relationships and hinted that one of them may have been abusive.

Severus clenched his fists at the thought of someone hurting Potter and ripped the wrapping paper around the box. He rubbed at his temples and closed his eyes in frustration. For the second time in barely five minutes, he fixed the box.

The moment Severus had heard Potter was single, he went into an internal struggle. Severus was twenty years his senior. There was no way Potter wanted him. Yet, they had exchanged lingering glances in the corridors, helped grade each other's midterms, and had even shared a private dance at the Yule Ball. All of the signs pointed to it. Severus just had to swallow his pride and ask Potter on a date.

It had been even longer since Severus had asked anyone on a date. He wasn't sure if he ever had. His casual encounters in his twenties and thirties had not warranted any sort of wooing. At Hogwarts, Lily was the only person on his mind and he hadn't had any sort of backbone back then.

This time would be different. He stood with resolve, clutching his present and pressing it against his stomach. Severus strode down the hallway, his chin held high and heart on his sleeve.

He nearly made it to Potter's classroom before stopping again. Potter wouldn't accept his present. Okay, perhaps he would accept the present, but not the date Severus hoped would follow. To prevent the humiliation of rejection, he could put the present in Potter's staff mailbox.

Granger had warned Severus that he had to be upfront. Potter would never respond if Severus didn't make his intentions perfectly clear. If he didn't, his efforts would be for nothing.

Severus swallowed, took in another deep breath, and forced his legs to continue moving.

Once he approached the door to Potter's classroom, he lifted his trembling hand, and knocked. "Potter?"

"Come in, Professor." Potter's voice was warm, causing Severus to smile.

Severus' arms dropped, masking the package behind his robes. He pushed forward, and entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

"What brings you here so early? Breakfast is just now being served." Potter looked up from the papers on his desk and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"I just – I wanted to say –" The words were getting stuck in Severus' throat. He felt his face flush.

Potter stood up and walked around his desk. Concern flooded his face. "Severus, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Potter. I don't know why I'm here so early. I simply found myself in the area and thought I would say hello." Severus mentally slapped himself for being such a fool.

"What's in your hands?" Potter pointed to the present sticking out from behind Severus.

"Oh bloody hell. It's your Christmas present." Severus shoved it into his hands.

Potter narrowed his eyes and tilted his head, giving Severus a calculating look. "It's April."

"I know." Severus found himself stammering through a rather embarrassing excuse. "I bought this for you _for_ Christmas but – I –"

"What?" Potter smiled down at the wrapping, which was made of several different wrapping paper styles and was ripped in several sections. The bow had holes in it. Severus winced at the tortured package.

"You were seeing Smith and I didn't want it to seem peculiar that I was buying you something."

Potter tugged at the ribbon and watched the bow come undone. It fell off the parcel and hung off of his hands. "Why would you think it was peculiar?"

Severus sighed. "You really are as thick as Granger told me you were. Just open the bloody present."

"Okay." Potter shrugged and tugged at the taped edges. He peeled the paper off and opened up the box inside. He stared at the piece inside, his eyes wide. "Severus, it's beautiful."

He pulled out the pyrite Hungarian Horntail, admiring it.

"I made it myself." Severus' voice shook as he spoke. "I've never done anything like it before, and I know pyrite is cheap material, but –"

Potter smiled and beamed at Severus. "I love it. Don't knock it down." He set it onto his desk and leaned back.

"There's – a card in there too." Severus pointed at the envelope and bit his lip. He felt himself starting to sweat.

Potter opened the card and quickly scanned the inside. "Is this true?"

It was now or never. Severus took in a deep breath. "Potter, not a day goes by that I don't think about you. I know that we didn't quite get along when you first started here. It was mostly because I was terrified you would hate me for how I treated you when you were younger. When Minerva asked me to work with you to ensure you would become a successful professor, I had my doubts. Potter, what I admire most in a person is their intelligence and wit. I didn't realize just how much of that you had."

Potter snorted. "Thanks."

"Shut up and let me finish, Potter. After countless nights working together and months of flirtation, I thought you would pursue me. You didn't and I was very, very confused. Then, you started seeing that awful excuse for a boy. However, he was young and handsome and I assumed that's what you wanted in a bloke. After the two of you broke things off on Valentine's Day, I went to Granger. That's right, Potter. I went to that insufferable know-it-all to get information on you. I wanted to know why you wouldn't pursue me when I was being as obvious as I knew how. Don't worry; she didn't divulge any secrets. She told me enough so I knew that if I wanted a relationship with you, I'd have to start it. So Potter, here I am. I've been in love with you for months and I want to know if you feel the same as I do. If you don't perhaps I could persuade you to on a date."

Severus looked into Potter's eyes. He had gone pale, his mouth and eyes completely wide. "I don't know what to say."

His shoulders slumped. "Potter, that's all I need to hear."

Potter reached out and grasped Severus' hand. "Severus, that's not what I meant. You just said an awful lot of things."

Severus squeezed Potter's hand. "Are my feelings returned?"

Potter nodded slowly. "Severus, I feel the same way. You know that I don't trust easily anymore. This won't be easy for me. Are you willing to have patience? For me?"

Severus' heartbeat slowed and he smiled. "Potter, as long as you're willing to have me, I don't care what we do. I managed to teach you to be half decent at Potions, so I must have some amount of patience, right?"

Potter placed his other hand on Severus' shoulder. Severus pulled him forward and pressed a kiss onto his lips.

The kiss began slow, but morphed into a passionate one. It was finally happening. He got the one thing he had wanted in years. Severus would never let it go, would never take it for granted.

Potter finally pulled away, his voice breathless and lips red. "I've wanted to do that since October."

Severus smiled and laid a kiss on Potter's forehead. "We have a lot of time to make up, don't we?"

"We do." Potter squeezed Severus' hand. "A very belated Happy Christmas to you."

"And to you." Severus nodded at Potter and squeezed back. "Would you join me for breakfast?"

"Of course."

As they walked together down the corridor, Potter turned to Severus and grinned. "Minerva is going to have kittens when she finds out we're dating."

The sounds of Severus and Harry's laughter filled the corridor as they walked together hand in hand.

__

Dear Potter,  
I don't know how to say this without seeming completely stupid, so I'll just say it. I'm in love with you.  
-Severus

  



End file.
